In This Dead City
by derp derp
Summary: An alternate universe Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fiction. Rated M for language and themes.
1. The Honda Truck

"Think we'll make it?" Hawkeye asked as she checked the distance between herself and the truck they were aiming for.  
Mustang grunted a little as he thought, peering around the red brick wall they were pressed flat against.  
"I don't know," He replied glumly, dark eyebrows knitted together. Even if they did make it to the vacant Honda, there was no guarantee it would work, and if not then they were truly screwed.  
"Well we'll never know unless we try, and we have to get back to the others quickly," He growled, clicking the gun in his hand and checking the streets.  
"On my mark, get ready to run for your fucking life,"  
"One,"  
Hawkeye clicked her gun, a bead of sweat trickled down her pale face.  
"Two,"  
Mustang's grip on his gun was so tight his knuckles went white.  
"Three!"

Charging around the corner, the two rather unclean looking adults didn't bother to look around them as they sped towards the truck, grabbing the handles and tugging at them, both freezing as the doors did not open.  
"Fuck!" Mustang yelled angrily as he tugged frantically on the door handle, praying to every God that the door open up. "Fuck!"  
Hawkeye's face paled as she heard familiar groans, the stench of rotting flesh making the hairs of her nostrils curl.  
"Roy! They're coming!" She said, watching as the man still tugged at the door handle, that was still refusing to budge.  
"I know! I know!"  
They had to think fast, otherwise they were as good as dead. It was a stupid idea to even consider leaving the base, but they had to, they had to try and save their friends. It had been months since they had even dared venture outside, and supplies were running thin, they needed a vehicle so they could get around easier, and this was the first thing they found as they searched the streets for something that wasn't beaten up or didn't work.

"Alright fuck this!" Hawkeye growled as they couldn't open the locked doors, going around to the driver's side and raising the handle of her pistol in to the air and slamming it in to the glass.  
The glass shattered upon impact, falling to pieces around the two and sending off an echoing smash that rang out through the empty streets.  
"What the hell did you do that for?!" Mustang shouted in anger as the woman ignored her bleeding hand and unlocked the truck, scrambling inside. "Now you've ruined the truck, hurt your hand and they'll find us any minute!"  
Hawkeye shot the man a glare and he closed his mouth, following her inside and sitting in the driver's seat. He knew better than to argue about who was going to drive.  
"My hand is nothing compared to how much we need this truck," The blonde woman hissed as she shut the doors and locked them all, grabbing a pair of pliers from her combat trouser pocket and crouching down, pulling away the dashboard and beginning to work, Mustang readying his gun and checking the streets.

Suddenly, the engine burst in to life and Hawkeye sat up, looking in to the rear-view mirror, narrowing her eyes as she finally felt the pain in her hand and slammed down on the reverse peddle, turning the wheel and speeding off down the streets.  
"And besides, we can always replace the window," The woman said, letting down her golden hair as they drove off out of the empty city. "Fuery has always been good with cars…"  
Mustang couldn't argue, but he couldn't help but look at her wounded hand, blood trickling across the leather steering wheel and on to the carpet. He grunted a little and reached for the glove compartment in front of him, opening it up and smiling a little as he noticed a small medical kit sitting inside. Taking it out, he opened it up and drew out a long white bandage and some anti septic cream. Gently taking Hawkeye's wrist off of the steering wheel, he began to tend to the wound as the woman drove the automatic truck.

Hawkeye glanced at the dark haired male for a moment or two before the faintest smile swept across her features and she looked back at the road, driving off towards a small base a few miles from the dead city.

--

**Authors Note: **Kind of short and not very informative, but it was written upon a whim and I rather like it. I will continue with this story so don't you worry about that. Please don't forget to R it's much appreciated -

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Fullmetal Alchemist characters used in this story.


	2. Unexpected Survivors

"They're late," Farman announced as he sat outside the base, a sniper held in his pale hands as he looked across the land with narrowed eyes.  
Havoc sighed and leaned against the metal panel of the base wall, closing his eyes and taking in a deep drag of the cigarette that hung limply between his lips. It had been two hours since Mustang and Hawkeye had set off, and he was starting to get worried, like most of the sheltered in this small military base.  
"I'm sure they'll be back," He said, taking the now blunt cigarette butt out of his mouth and tossing it to the ground, crushing it under his boot.  
"We just have to wait,"

And wait they did. They had been waited for ages, sometimes swapping positions with the other survivors.  
It wasn't a big base, more like a small bunker, the best place to be if they were attacked by those vile creatures.  
Havoc wasn't even sure what they were. Dangerous, brainless, rotting beasts.

_Undead._

Suddenly, there was a soft rumbling sound coming from the distance, and Havoc looked up quickly, glancing to the side as Farman jumped up with a pair of binoculars in his hand, peering through them.  
"They're back!" He said excitedly, dropping the binoculars back around his neck, but not moving from his spot.  
Havoc sighed in relief and slumped back a little, his muscles relaxing after being tense for so long.  
"What have they got?" He asked curiously and Farman picked up his binoculars, looking through them again.  
"A white truck, a Honda by the looks of things," The male replied. "It looks clean and only the window seems broken…"  
Havoc paused for a moment. "Seems broken? Come on Farman it's either broken or it's not," He said, grinning a little sheepishly.  
If the window was broken, there was a high chance one of them was injured, or something. And if one of them had been bitten… then that meant…

Not waiting for Farman's answer, Havoc stood up and climbed down the metal ladder to go and greet Mustang and Hawkeye, skipping the last few steps and taking a fresh cigarette from a packet in his combat pants, grasping it between his lips and lighting it up with a Zippo lighter before he puffed away and smiled, approaching the truck.

"Hey chief!" Havoc said cheerfully as the two parked the truck inside the base and hopped out.  
Eyeing Hawkeye a little, Havoc noticed her bandaged hand and narrowed his eyes a little, grabbing his gun and cocking it at her.  
"Drop your gun Havoc, I haven't been bitten," Hawkeye said as if she wasn't the least bit surprised by the man's reaction. "I smashed my hand in to the glass, it's just a few cuts, nothing too bad," She said, closing her eyes. "Nice to see you're not afraid to shoot if you have to though," She said and brushed passed him.  
Havoc blinked a little and look to Mustang, who sighed a little and shrugged his shoulders.  
"The door wouldn't open and we were in a tight situation," He explained carelessly, also walking past Havoc and padding towards the supply room, taking off his black jacket and tossing it to the side.

"And I thought Farman was joking…" Havoc mumbled as he looked back at the truck, deciding to give it a once over. He walked towards the back of the truck, peering inside the trunk. Luckily it was empty, and there were no signs of blood anywhere.  
"That's good," Havoc murmured to himself as he hopped in to the truck and moved it forward a little more.  
"Fuery! You've got some work to do!" He called out, and listened as his voice echoed throughout the metal shell they hid away in.

Fuery popped out of a random room curiously, pushing the glasses up his nose before he smiled at Havoc and nodded his head.  
"I'll be right out Havoc," He called before he disappeared again.  
Fuery had a way with cars, he wasn't a mechanic but he just new how cars worked and how to fix things. He was the survivors' handy man. It was kind of funny, seeing as he was one of the younger members of the group.

Smiling, the older man ran his fingers through his dirty blond hair and set off, heading back off up the metal ladder and joining Farman on the roof.  
"It wasn't anything too serious," Havoc said as Farman opened his mouth to speak.  
"Oh well, that's good then," Farman said and continued to look through the binoculars whilst Havoc checked his gun for ammo.  
"Damn… running out of magazines," The tall male mumbled as he clicked the gun open and checked it. "We're gonna have to go salvaging tomorrow," He said, eyebrows furrowing as he thought about it.  
Farman grunted a little in reply. "Luckily we know the city's layout by now, and where they hide…"  
Havoc exhaled a breath of smoke and closed his eyes once he finished fixing his gun, laying it beside him. "I suppose so… but still…"

"What's the situation?" A voice asked from behind them and Mustang climbed up on to the roof, sitting down with a small huff and looking out across the city.  
"Nothing as of yet, sir, we haven't been in any danger since Wednesday," Farman announced and Havoc nodded in agreement.  
"I suppose it's a good thing, but it seems a little boring," Havoc put in, laying back against the roof of the bunker and puffing away on his cigarette. "And we haven't found any more survivors… it's only been a few months since the outbreak,"  
Mustang sighed and shook his head lightly. "There's nothing we can do about that, we just have to keep looking and hope we'll find someone," He said. "It might be time we moved to a new city… let's just hope that it's not too late…"  
Havoc and Farman fell silent in thought, bowing their heads a little. It was a scary thought to think they were the only ones left on the earth, surrounded by those things. But there was hope, they were only near a small city in the middle of America, and the world was a big place, maybe there would be thousands more alive, and doing better than they were.

"If we're going salvaging, we'd better do it soon," Hawkeye said as she climbed on to the roof, slipping in to a sitting position and taking the rifle from her back, setting it beside her.  
"Anyway, Havoc, shift's over," She announced, and Havoc yawned, sitting up and discarding his blunt cigarette.  
"About time," He said, getting up and stretching. "I've been dying for a nap," He added, looking out across the barren wasteland one last time, before doing a double take.  
In the distance, he spotted something, and grabbed the binoculars beside Hawkeye, bringing them to his eyes and looking out. He could feel his companions tense beside him as he did so.  
"Havoc?"  
"Are they zombies Havoc?"  
"N-no…" Havoc stuttered. The sight before him shocked him to no end. Two young boys, both with dirty golden hair, literally dragged themselves towards the base. Caked in dirt and blood, they looked about as dead as they come, but Havoc saw something. Determination, the will to survive faintly sparkling in their dull eyes.  
"Jesus Christ there are two kids out there," He gasped.  
Quickly, Farman grabbed his binoculars and looked out too. "And that's not all," He said grimly, grabbing his gun.

"They've got company,"

--

**Authors Note: **A little longer than before. Hope you enjoy it! I like this chapter quite a bit Also, who are the two young blonds Havoc was referring to? Find out in the next chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Fullmetal Alchemist characters used in this story.


	3. The Story of Two Lost Boys

_"Mom? Mom!"  
Running up the garden path, two young boys burst through the door to their house and rushed in to their mother's bedroom, where a woman lay in the bed, her face pale and drenched in sweat.  
"My boys… are you okay?" The young woman asked, her green eyes dull and glazed over.  
She winced a little as the doctor beside her took a look at her hand were a small bit lay nestled, the skin around the puncture turning a green/yellow colour.  
"W-what happened to my mother?" The oldest son asked, staring at his mother, taking her free hand and holding on to it tightly.  
The doctor paused a little and sighed, staring to bandage up the wound. "Your mother was bitten by a rat and has caught something from it," He explained in the simplest way he could. "She should be fine, your Grandmother found her and called me over before it was too late, I've given her some medicine to help her get better,"_

_"…" Both boys paused and looked to each other for a moment, before back at the doctor. "Thank you, doctor," The eldest said with a gentle nod of his head, his eyes looking at his mother.  
"Boys…" Their mother spoke up, her face turning a pale shade of yellow. "I'm… sorry," She whispered before her eyes drifted shut and she fell limp in the bed she rested in.  
"M-mom? Mom!"  
"Boys, step back please,"  
"No! NO! That's our Mom! Mom come on! Wake up!"_

_Just as they wished, their mother woke, sitting up straight. But something was different about her. The colour of her eyes had changed from bright green to pale white. Her skin was a sickly green colour, and didn't look like it had done before.  
All three paused in horror as the woman let out a low moan and started to claw at her children and the doctor.  
"What the hell…?" The doctor began before he yelled in horror.  
The woman had grabbed his outstretched arm and took a clean bite of his flesh.  
Both boys screamed as the doctor pulled his arm away from her, falling back to the ground and writhing in pain.  
"Run boys! Run!" The doctor cried as he grunted in pain, rolling around on the floor and trying to subside the crimson liquid flowing from his arm.  
The woman that had once been their mother, turned to look at her sons. And as soon as her gaze met the eldest's, he knew she wasn't their mother, and grabbed his brother, running out of the house._

Eyes easing open, the youngest brother came to realization of what was happening and sprung to attention. "B-brother?!" He asked, looking to the older male, who was dragging the two of them out of the city, towards something which he could barely make out in the distance.  
"I-I'm sorry brother, I must have passed out again,"  
"It's fine, Al, just keep moving!" The older brother almost screamed, which made Al jump a little and look behind him, gasping at what he saw.  
Four, no, maybe even five of those things were crawling towards them. One didn't have a lower body, but still seemed to manage to pull itself along, leaving rotted blood and entrails to seep from the open wound.  
"Ed!"  
"I know Al! Just keep moving will you!"  
Realizing his legs weren't moving by themselves, Al managed to find his footing on the ground and started to walk before he yelped in pain and looked at the cut in the side of his leg. His knee buckled under the weight, and he was forced to leave it limp, using only the one leg to help himself along, along with Ed supporting him.

"W-we're almost there," The older brother said comfortingly as he pulled with all his might, making sure his little brother wasn't left to the hands of those creatures. It was already incredibly risky with Al's open wound.  
"Brother, do you really think… anyone's there?" Al panted, the lose of blood taking it's toll on his small body.  
"Didn't you see them Al? Two people, I know they were there! Come on, let's just keep going," Urged Ed, perking up a little as he saw something approach them in the distance.

It was the same white Honda from before.

"Get down!" A voice commanded, and both boys complied instantly, dropping to the ground, Ed shielding Al as the sounds of gun shots echoed through the wasteland, the sound of bodies dropping to the ground, motionless.  
Al allowed himself to look up in to the bright blue eyes of a tall male with bleach blond hair, a gun still aimed at their pursuers, waiting for them to move.  
Another man with dark hair and piercing dark eyes also got out of the truck and walked to the two boys. His face wore a scowl, but it eased in to a sort of smile as he knelt down beside the two boys.  
"Are you alright?" He asked, but didn't wait for a reply, instead looking at the other man and nodding, picking Al up from the ground and helping him inside the four seated truck.  
The other man took Ed and placed him beside him.  
"See… I told you I wasn't lying…" Ed said weakly, taking Al's hand in his and squeezing it.  
"I'm sorry I ever doubted you… brother…" Al said quietly, relaxing in to the comfortable seat and finally allowing himself to rest after days. He glanced at his brother, who had both of his eyes shut, breathing heavily as he drifted to sleep.  
Al smiled and shut his own eyes, drifting off in to a deep sleep.

Driving back to the base, Mustang parked the truck and got out, letting out a heavy sigh as he looked over at Hawkeye and then back at the two young blonds, who slept peacefully in the truck.  
"Two boys, brothers by the looks of it," He said as Havoc got out, carefully shutting the door as not to awaken the two boys.  
"One has a rather bad looking leg wound, but doesn't look infected, and as for the other, only a few cuts and scratches, tired if anything,"  
Hawkeye nodded and took in a heavy breath, looking sadly at the two boys, the younger one curled up on the older brother's lap.  
"Do you know their names?" She asked.  
Havoc shook his head. "No time to ask them their names," He said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it up, breathing in the smoke. "They had four, plus a half of one, chasing after them," He said, tapping the stray ash on to the ground.  
"They're dead now,"  
Hawkeye nodded her head. "We should tend to them now though, I doubt we'll be able to wake them up after what it seems they've been through," She said, walking over to the doors and gently opening them up.  
Havoc walked over to help her and they both took the boys to be treated.

After what seemed like forever, Ed finally managed to open his eyes, not feeling so tired for once. He blinked a little, trying to remember what happened. The room he was in was completely white, and his head throbbed, like the rest of his body.  
Where was he? He didn't remember.  
And Al? Where was Al?  
Sitting up straight, his eyes widened with fear until he felt something warm beside him and he looked down, sighing in relief at the sight of Al. "Thank God," Ed whispered, relaxing back on to the comfy double bed they were laying on and curled around Al protectively.  
Suddenly the door clicked and Ed sat up in shock again, almost shoving Al off of the bed by accident.  
The little brother groaned and opened his eyes, yawning and watching as the dark haired man from before and a young blonde woman walked in to the room, looking down at the two carefully.

"It's you," Al said in realization, sitting up beside his brother. "You were the ones who took that truck,"  
"Ah, so you saw us did you?" Mustang asked with a small smirk, taking a vacant chair beside the bed.  
"So you followed us all the way from there to here?" Hawkeye asked in amazement, also sitting herself down.  
Both boys exchanged nervous glances. "Actually… no, we were hiding out in one of the apartments on the outskirts of the city… we saw you and decided to follow you," Ed admitted, rubbing the back of his head lightly.  
"Well, it doesn't matter now," Mustang said dismissively, lacing his fingers and leaning forward in his chair a little. "You're safe with us, rest assured,"  
The brothers looked at each other and sighed happily, both of them seemed to relax in to the wall they were leaning against. "Thank you, Sir," Ed said, dipping his head in respect.  
"Please, call me Roy, Roy Mustang, and this is Riza Hawkeye," He said, gesturing to Hawkeye, who waved her hand lightly at the boys. "Hello," She greeted.

"I'm Edward Elric, and this is my little brother, Alphonse," Ed announced.  
"Little?" Mustang repeated, blinking a bit. He could have sworn Ed was the younger one.  
As if reading Mustang's mind, Ed narrowed his eyes. "Yes, he's my little brother," He said irritably.  
"Don't mind my brother," Al said with a weak sort of smile. "He's very sensitive about his height… but it's not like we've had the right nutrition to grow…" He added lightly.  
As if on cue, both boys' stomachs growled loudly; so much so they had to clutch them to make them be quiet, both of them laughing nervously.  
"Hungry are you?" Hawkeye asked, rising from her seat and walking off out of the door without another word.  
Both boys nodded. "It's been a few weeks since we've had anything to eat…" Ed murmured.

Mustang smiled gently. "And yet you managed to drag your half dead brother across the wasteland towards us, you must be quite strong young boys," He said. "How old are you?"  
"I'm fifteen," Ed said, blushing a bit at Mustang's compliment. "Al is fourteen,"  
"So… what exactly is this place?" Al asked as he looked around the room. "A military bunker or something?"  
"You're right," Hawkeye said, walking back in to the room, carrying a try. On the tray were two plates, piled as high as they could go with beans, bacon, sausages, scrambled egg, fried egg and a few slices of pizza, with two large glasses of water. "Sorry if you don't like the food, but it's what we're having to eat today," She said, setting the tray down in front of the two boys, who stared.  
"C-can we really eat all of this?" Al asked, growing slightly tearful. Ed just stared, slack jawed.  
Both adults laughed. "Yes of course, that's why Riza bought it in," Mustang said with a gentle smile, getting up. "Well, we'll leave you boys to it, and we expect those plates to be clean by the time we get back, okay?" And with that, he and Hawkeye took off.

Ed and Al didn't need telling twice. As soon as they dug in, both boys began to cry, tears of joy streaming down their faces as they ate everything on the plate, from the last single bean.  
Satisfied, they both lay down, huddled up to each other and sobbing gratefully until they both fell asleep again, thanking God they were finally away from that city.

--

**Authors Note: **This chapter actually made me cry writing TTnTT I feel like such a wuss. Anyway, not as long as I intended it to be but I think that'll do for now. Don't forget to R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Fullmetal Alchemist characters used in this story.


	4. Take me with you!

**Authors Note: **Uwah!!! I'm so sorry D: I completely forgot I had this story in writing. I'm so sorry guys! I've been busy with this new course I'm on and other things ._. also my lack of inspiration has been an absolute killer. Anyway, I should be back now. And I'm determined to finish this story, seeing as I have a bad habit of writing stories and then leaving them _; Hopefully my writing skill has improved somewhat so I can write the story better ^w^ Sorry again~

--

Seven months, three weeks, five days, eight hours and twenty-one minutes in counting. That's, roughly, how long this mayhem has been going on for. It started the same cliqued way that you'd see in the movies, with an infection. A virus that spread quicker than anything you'd ever seen. One drop of infected blood in to your system and that's it, you were gone. It spread like wildfire, and soon enough the whole world was in chaos.

We have no idea what started it, or even if there's a cure. None of us knew how many survivors are out there, if there are any. As far as we were concerned, it was them against us, and we have no intention of standing down and losing to those things.

Theoretically, they shouldn't last very long. You have to destroy the brain to destroy them (otherwise they'll keep coming back) and it seems like they're decomposing like a regular deceased human, so surely in a matter of months their brain will rot away and they'll just... die? Well that's what I hope anyway. It also seems like the virus only affects humans. I don't know what I'd do if I saw a dead dog running about the place.

And who knows, just because they're not... well, zombies I suppose... doesn't mean that they don't carry around the infection in their system.

It's a scary thought, but something I couldn't help but wonder about, especially when I'm on my own, doing the night shift.

My name's Jean Havoc. I'm twenty-eight years old and probably not going to live past my thirties. Before this whole thing started, I had terrible luck with women, so I have no partner, or kids. I shot my last ex-girlfriend in the face after she got infected.

It felt good.

I'm tall, the second tallest in our group, with Farman closely following. The tallest out of us is Armstrong. He's a beast of a man, but very gentle most of the time. He hasn't been the same since he found out his beloved family had been infected, save his older sister Olivia, who was here with us at the time. She's a hardcore military bitch, but really quite attractive… anyway, enough of that.

The sky was incredibly clear tonight. The moon was full and almost orange with star clusters littering the sky. There was hardly a cloud in site. These were the kind of things you noticed when you were up here on your own, with nothing but the sky as company. Usually I wouldn't have noticed these kinds of things… but when you're in a situation like I am, you see the true beauty of Mother Earth. Maybe this whole epidemic was Mother Nature's way of telling us our time was over. We've done so many horrible and wrong things to her that she's had enough and is telling us we need to move on and let Nature take its course.

There kind of thoughts really made you appreciate the little things around you, especially your own life. Now, looking back on it, I have made some stupid mistakes in my life, and I really regret some of the things I have done.

Recently we found two more survivors (well, more like they found us). Two brothers, with a bond so strong it made me kind of jealous. I'd never been too close to my family but seeing those two brothers made me really regret separating myself from them. I wish I'd spent more time with them. I wonder if they've even survived.

Those two boys went through a lot. They watched their mother become one of the first to be infected, and had survived all these months locked away in a tiny apartment with little food or water. It really is amazing how they survived, the survival instincts of a human being, especially those so young.

Just then, the lid to the roof popped open and I almost jumped five feet in the air. Regaining my composure, I watched as Breda slowly crawled out of the hole with a grunt and sat himself beside me. Out of all of us, I'd have to say Breda was my best friend. We've been friends for years and years now. We're the same rank and we've been out on many missions together, so there's quite a strong bond between us.

I smirked somewhat as Breda took out a chocolate bar from his pocket and unwrapped it, eating it slowly to savor the taste. He's always loved his food, so he's a bit on the large side. Needless to say he was devastated when we had to start rationing.

"You alright Havoc?" He asked, glancing over at me. I nodded a little and turned my attention back to the sky, realizing I had been staring a little bit.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied half-heartedly. Breda didn't seem totally convinced but let it go for now.

"I was talking to Hawkeye about going on another salvage mission," Breda continued as he shifted his weight to get comfortably. I had to say… sitting on corrugated iron wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing I've ever sat on. "Seems like we're in a bit of a situation concerning food supplies," He said.

Tearing my eyes from the sky, I looked up at him, blinking curiously. "Oh yeah? I thought we were doing fine for the moment," I commented, taking a cigarette out of my jacket pocket and grasping it between my lips as I fumbled around my pockets for a lighter. I have a really bad smoking habit, but it's not like it matters now. I'll be lucky if I die of cancer. Finding a lighter, I flipped it open and took in a deep drag of nicotine as the cigarette was lit. Breathing it out, I watched as the smoke disappeared in to the atmosphere.

Breda shook his head at my comment, though. "Hawkeye made the suggestion that we should start trying to grow our own food, like potatoes and stuff like that," He said, although he didn't sound too pleased with the idea of living off of vegetables.

I nodded my head a little. "That's a good idea, it would help us a lot," I said. "It'd feel weird though… I can't say I've ever grown my own food before, so it'll be an interesting experience,"

"Yeah, thing is though, we ain't got none of the stuff to grow anything with… so that means we're gonna have to go in to the city,"

Although I knew it was coming, I still couldn't help but shudder. That city was like a giant death trap, with zombies crawling all over the place. It would be a risky and dangerous mission. Hawkeye and Mustang barely made it out alive after they hijacked that car. Taking a deep drag of my cigarette, I held it between my fingers and sighed out the smoke, worrying my lip with my teeth somewhat.

"Well I guess we can't avoid it forever… we'll need to go back in there again sometime, no matter how much we try and put it off," I said, flicking the ash from the end of the stick and holding it between my lips again. "Has Fuery fixed up the van?" I asked. I'd developed a rather handy skill of keeping my cigarette in my mouth as I spoke, from all those years of smoking. "Yep, they're heading off tomorrow. Anyway, it's the end of your shift, go and get some rest," Breda said, taking the gun I kept beside me and the walky-talky. I nodded my head with an appreciative smile and climbed down the ladder, yawning as I headed off to my bunk to get some rest.

--

"Havoc, wake up,"

Lifting one eye open, I looked over at Hawkeye, who stood fully dressed at my doorway with her hands on her hips. She had that same 'fuck with me and I'll kill you' look on her face, and sometimes I wondered if she even had any other expressions.

"What? What is it?" I asked, sitting myself up and rubbing my eyes as I yawned. I glanced at the clock and winced. It was way too early for me to even move. This probably had something to do with the fact they were going on a big salvage mission today. Oh God, I hope they weren't expecting me to go along too?

"You're coming with us," Bollocks "So get suited up and meet us near the entrance where I'll debrief you," Hawkeye said firmly before turning around and walking off.

Sighing, I scratched my head and stretched. Getting up and grabbing my clothes that I had folded and left on the chair in my room I tugged them on lazily and dusted myself down. I assumed I didn't have time for a shower, seeing as Hawkeye had seemed so urgent. Crap, that probably meant no time for a morning smoke. Oh well, I'd light one up on the way.

Making sure I had everything (cigarettes, lighter, body armor, gun, knife and grenades on my belt, knife hidden on shin and gun hidden on shin) I tugged on my gloves and headed off towards the main entrance, where Fuery was going over the van and Mustang, Hawkeye, Farman and Breda were packing up a few things to take with us.

"You're going out there?" a voice asked from behind me, and I turned around to look in to the eyes of the older brother that had been rescued the day before. I think his name was Ed or something. He looked very distraught about something

"Afraid so, just gotta get a few things, but we'll be back before you know-"

"Take me with you!"

--

**Authors Note:** Dun dun dun! Cliff hanger! Once again I'm sorry for the lack of updates… but here is your long awaited fourth chapter! It's not that good ^_^; but I wanted an excuse to use Havoc… my favorite x3 Don't forget to R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Fullmetal Alchemist characters used in this story.


	5. Reluctant Decision

"Take me with you!"

Havoc stared at the young blond before him with surprise. The look of determination in his eyes was slightly unnerving, and the Lieutenant didn't really know how to respond to the boy's sudden request. Of course it was a completely stupid and dangerous thing to ask. Even he didn't want to go in to the city, so why someone would forcefully go was a mystery.

"W-what? I can't do that kid!" Havoc said, scratching the back of his head. "It's dangerous and way too risky. Plus I'm sure the Chief would be against it," He hated to put Ed down, but it was completely illogical.

"But you have to!" Ed said with a gleam of determination in his eyes as he balled his fists. "I promised! I promised her I'd find her!"

Havoc paused for a moment, not really knowing with to make of the situation. Sighing, he looked over to where Mustang and the others were preparing the Honda for their trip in to the city before he turned back to Ed.

"Look, kid, I can't allow you to go, no matter what the reason is. It'll be way too dangerous and not to mention you've only just gotten out of there..."

"But you don't understand! My friend is still in there," Ed said, his voice becoming dry and rushed. "I promised I'd go find her once we reached safety!"

The taller male was taken by surprise at this. More survivors? Well that changed the situation somewhat. Although he knew it'd be impossible to bring Ed along with them. "Well..." He began, a guilty expression plastered on his face. "I'll have a talk with the Chief and we'll see what we can do... but I'm not guaranteeing you'll be coming along with us!"

"Thank you Havoc, really!" Ed said, turning around and rushing off back to wherever he had come from.

Havoc looked after the boy and sighed again, scratching his neck before he turned and approached the truck. "Er... Chief? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Havoc asked, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the truck as Mustang loaded a duffle bag on to the truck, probably full of ammo for their weapons. Mustang looked up from his work and frowned somewhat before following Havoc off to the side.

"What is it?" He asked, tapping his foot in an impatient manner that made Havoc a little uneasy.

"Well, I just had that Edward kid come up to me... he asked if he could come with us," Havoc admitted.

"What?! That's stupid! Why would he ask such a thing like that?" Mustang burst out suddenly, causing Havoc to flinch.

"Well, sir. It seems like there might be more survivors... I didn't get the full story but it seems like Ed and his brother weren't alone when they were hiding out," Havoc said, shrugging his shoulders lightly. "I know we can't take him with us... but I thought we could check it out, you know? If there's any chance of other survivors then we need to do our duty and-"

"Yes yes I know full well what our duty is Havoc," Mustang said, huffing somewhat at the predicament and running his fingers through his raven black hair. "And if there is any chance that there are more survivors... it'll be dangerous but we should at least try,"

Havoc smiled happily. "Alright, well I can talk to Ed about where the survivors are," He offered.

Mustang shook his head. "No, it's best if I do it, go and get ready. We're leaving soon," He said, brushing past the taller male and heading off to find the young teenager.

Havoc watched after his superior and tutted somewhat before he headed off to help.

--

"So you'll help us?!" Ed asked, jumping up from the bed in the room that he and Al had been assigned to. "You'll help us find her?"

Mustang nodded his head a little. "But you're not to come with us, it's dangerous out there and we have no idea how many of those things are in there. For all we know your friend might not have-" He cut himself off before he finished his sentence, biting his lip before he turned away. "However, we don't know where we're going, so..."

"So we can come with you right?" Al asked.

"No, I didn't say that," Mustang sighed. "Will you be able to draw a map?"

"But it's in a really difficult place! You won't be able to find it without our help," Argued Ed.

"I can't do that Edward! Not only would I put my men at risk, it would put you in risk too, and I can't do that," Mustang retorted. "You know how dangerous it is out there, you know what we're up against. Why are you so determined to go back in there?"

"Because I made a promise! I made a promise that I would go and find her and I intend on keeping that promise!" Ed barked, determination flaring in his golden eyes. "Please, sir. Just let me go with you! I promise I won't get in the way, I just need to see her face again,"

"You know there's a possibility she might not have survived-"

"I don't care! Even if she's... one of them. I need to see her,"

Mustang took in a deep breath. There was no use arguing with the blond. There was a danger he would run off and try to find his friend anyway, and he would feel horrible if something like that were to happen. Feeling a tug at his sleeve, he looked down to the younger brother, who looked almost in tears.

"Please let him go with you, I can stay here but... please?" He begged, wiping his eyes with his arm before letting go. "She's our best friend..."

Mustang felt like he'd been put between a rock and a hard place. Both boys seemed so distraught; who knows what would happen if he said. Closing his eyes and letting out a defeated breath, he relaxed his shoulders. "Fine, you can come with us," He said, offering the boy a light smile. "Under the condition you do exactly as I say and don't disobey my orders. You're putting us at a lot of risk here. Now go get ready, we'll be leaving soon,"

Ed grinned and turned to Al, giving him a high five before hugging his brother. "Thank you, Mr. Mustang," He said, rushing out of the room. He stopped and then peered around the door at Al, flashing him another grin. "I'll be back Al, don't worry," He said, dashing off again. Al nodded his head and waved slightly before he turned to Mustang. "Thank you a lot sir... this means a lot to us," He said, bowing gently.

"Well... it's not like I could say no," Mustang said with another smile before he nodded and turned away to leave.

--

"Here," Havoc said, turning to Ed and offering him a small pistol. "You might need this, just in case," He said, smiling reassuringly as the boy eyed the gun.

Swallowing, Ed took the gun and looked at it in his hands.

"The safety is on," Havoc explained, pointing to the gun. "Flick this to turn it off. Now remember, it only has ten shots so use it only if you need to. Aim for the head and squeeze the trigger. One bullet through the skull should do it, so try and savour the bullets,"

Ed nodded as he processed the information, feeling the weight in his hands, fingers tracing the outline of the gun before he pointed it and closed one eye to aim. "Easy," He said.

Havoc laughed, strapping himself in to the truck. He, Ed and Breda were in the back with Hawkeye and Mustang in the front. Farman was stood in the back with a sniper rifle and silencer, to pick off any zombies they spotted.

"You ready?" Mustang asked as he climbed in, looking back at Ed.

Ed took in a deep breath and nodded his head, his heart pounding quickly with excitement and almost dread.

"Alright then. Hawkeye," He nodded to the woman, who returned the gesture and started the truck, kicking it in to gear before she drove off out of the entrance, down the dirt track and towards the city.

--

**Authors Note: **Again, another short chapter. But who is Ed talking about? =o Find out next chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Fullmetal Alchemist characters used in this story.


	6. In This Dead City

"So, what's the plan?" Havoc asked as he lit up a cigarette, winding down the window and breathing the smoke out, watching the city slowly begin to come in to view. Although he wasn't pleased about this, there was nothing he could do, so there was no use protesting against what had to be done.

"Once we reach the city, we'll split off in to two teams," Mustang began, his eyes focused in front of him, face not showing any emotion. "Hawkeye, Breda and Farman will drop us off at the block where Edward has instructed his friend is before heading off a couple of blocks to the left to raid the gardening store not too far away. Havoc, you and I will protect Edward as he takes us to find his friend," He explained before turning to Ed.

"We'll be in and out in under an hour, understood? Our rendezvous is at the same point we will be dropped off at an hour from now, we have walky-talkies to keep in touch," He said and Ed nodded his head, swallowing past the lump in his throat and gripping the gun Havoc had given him.

"Are we clear?" Mustang asked. "Yes sir," The group replied before the truck remained silent.

It took a couple of minutes for the group to enter the city, Hawkeye driving carefully, making sure not to make too much noise to disturb any nearby infected. Ed directed the team to the exact point before climbing out after Havoc.

The city was in complete ruin. Windows, and doors were broken down, cars parked awkwardly in the middle of the road, litter and other bits of debris covered the streets. Small fires parked where cars had collided, and the streets were filled with an eerie silence.

"See you in an hour," Hawkeye said before she carefully backed up and drove off.

Keeping the gun in his hands, Ed shook a little with nerves as Mustang and Havoc checked the coast was clear, guns at the ready.

"Okay Edward, show us the way," Mustang said in a hushed voice and the boy nodded, looking around for danger before he headed down the street towards a block of what they presumed to be apartments. The door had been kicked open, so there was no need to break in. Ed entered the building and looked around before making his way up the flight of stairs, Mustang keeping close to his side whilst Havoc brought up the rear.

It took quite a bit of manoeuvring around the flats, but luckily they didn't run in to any of the infected. Soon enough, Ed hesitated outside of a door and looked at Mustang. "This one," He mouthed. Mustang nodded and carefully approached the closed door, pressing his ear against the wood and listening. There was a small shuffling sound from behind and he looked to Havoc, nodding his head before looking at Edward and cocking his head to the side.

Ed nodded and gulped before he put his hand to the door. "H-hello?" He asked in a weak voice, turning the door handle and pushing it open. "A-anyone in here?" He looked inside before he took a step inside. His face paled a little and he began to shake out of fright. What if she wasn't here? What if those things had gotten to her? Ed started to feel sick in his stomach and heaved a little before Mustang put his hand on his shoulder and walked in front of him, gun at the ready.

"Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing throughout the apartment. There was a rustling sound from another room and Mustang quickly pointed his gun in front of him, turning to the room and carefully walking towards the room. The door was closed, but he was sure that he could hear something from behind. Hesitantly he reached for the door handle.

"If anyone is in here... alive... please don't be afraid," He spoke gently, grasping the brass handle in his gloved hand. "We're here to help you," He explained, twisting the handle slowly before throwing the door open and stepping inside.

There was a muffled squeak from inside the closet, and Mustang looked to Ed, who had been carefully following Mustang inside. Ed bit his trembling lip and approached the closet, pulling it open and peering inside. "W-Winry? Are you in here?" He asked.

"E-Ed? Is that... is that you?" A quite voice asked, and Ed turned around to watch a small girl with dirty blond hair crawl out from underneath the bed, brandishing a dented frying pan. Her blue eyes filled with tears at the sight of him standing there. "Ed! Ed you came back!" She cried, launching herself at him. A look of relief spread across Ed's face and he ran to the girl, gathering her in his arms and hugging her. "Winry!" He sobbed, trying his best to hold back his tears. "I'm sorry I left... I'm so sorry," He whispered.

"Come on you two, save this for later. We have to get back downstairs now," Mustang said, his eyes peeled for any sign of danger. "Are there any more survivors you know of Miss...?"

"Winry, call me Winry," The girl said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "And... I don't know... I'm the only one left here... I think," She stuttered.

"W-what about Grandma?" Ed asked, blinking rapidly. Winry hesitated and fell silent, looking at the floor. "Sh-she went out to get some food... but she never came back," She whimpered.

"Chief!" Havoc said, coming through the door and looking at the two teenagers before at Mustang. "We need to go. Now," He said, his expression slightly worried and his face pale, as if something happened.

Mustang didn't question his subordinate, but nodded his head. "Come on," He said to Ed and Winry, waiting till they exited before he followed closely behind.

As the four of them exited the building, a horrible stench began to fill the air and they all froze still. Each one knew what that smell meant, and it wasn't good. They were coming. Winry began to cry gently and huddled in to Ed, who put an arm around her protectively with his gun at the ready whilst the two officers looked around.

Suddenly, from a distance, they heard a couple of gunshots firing and the sound of an engine speeding down the road. Watching as the Honda skidded in a halt in front of them, Mustang stepped forward as the passenger door flew open.

"Get in! Now!" Hawkeye yelled, looking around behind her and waiting for the four to pile in to the truck before she sped off back to the bunker.

"What the hell happened?" Mustang demanded as the woman gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles went white. He turned around and watched as Farman aimed behind him with his gun, every now and then firing off a couple of shots.

"There was a horde," Hawkeye explained simply as they whizzed through the streets. Mustang's face went white.

"A-a horde?" He stuttered, looking around frantically.

"We managed to get the stuff, but as soon as we got out of there... there were thousands of them!" Breda explained, leaning out of the window and taking a couple of shots of his own. "We don't know how they got there without us noticing!"

Mustang growled and slammed his fist on the dashboard. "If they find out the bunker..." He whispered to himself, looking at the floor.

But Winry's shrill scream tore him from his thoughts and he looked up, gasping in horror. In front of them was a wall of people. Their clothes were torn and bloodstained, their skin dirty and pale with parts rotting away. Some had missing limbs; some had open wounds with entrails spilling out. There were at least two hundred of them, and they were standing right in front of the exit to the city.

Slamming on the breaks, the Honda skidded to a halt in front of the horde. "How the hell did they get there?!" Mustang demanded, staring in horror as his officers began to shoot at the things, leaning out of their windows.

"What are we going to do?! There's no way we have enough ammo to shoot them all!" Ed demanded frantically, holding a sobbing Winry in his arms.

"Drive through them!" Mustang commanded Hawkeye, who looked at him with shock.

"But sir! There's too many of them! Even if we-"

"Don't argue back Lieutenant, just do as I say!" Mustang barked, holding on to the dashboard and glaring at the hoard. "Everyone, strap yourselves in," He said as Hawkeye pressed down on the accelerator and shifted gears, speeding towards the hoard.

The truck smashed through the first wave easily, sending the infected flying as they tore through the wall, making a path out of the city and towards the bunker. Farman managed to cap a few of the ones in front, and Breda and Havoc helped keep the infected from climbing on to the truck.

Suddenly, the engine stalled and cut out, leaving them in the middle of the horde, who were slowly advancing towards them.

"Come on Hawkeye!" Mustang shouted in panic as the woman tried to kick-start the engine again. "Come on! Come on!"

The engine then sprung in to life and they zoomed off through the rest of the hoard, finally making it out of the city and down to the bunker. The truck was now covered in blood and bits of the infected. Once they were sure they were out of danger, Breda whistled and began to laugh.

"Phew! That was a close one!" He said as the group slowly relaxed. "For a moment there I thought we were goners!"

Even Mustang cracked a smile, wiping the sweat from his brow as they all chuckled, the adrenaline slowly leaving their veins. Grinning stupidly, he turned around and leaned his arm on the seat, looking through the back at Farman.

"You are there Farman?" He asked.

The silver haired male nodded and saluted, flashing a grin of his own. "Never felt better sir," He said until he felt something move behind him and turned around, yelling and firing a shot. The others turned around to see what the problem was and Winry, Havoc, Breda and Mustang screamed.

"FARMAN!"

--

**Authors Note: **=ooo I love cliff-hangers w Sorry for being so evil~ oh noes Farman! What happens to him?? Find out next chapter x3 R&R

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Fullmetal Alchemist characters used in this story.


	7. The Fall of Vato Farman

"He was a great officer... and to all of us, great friend,"

_The truck swerved a little on the dust track, stopping abruptly._

"He was bright, kind and respected throughout the bunker,"

_Six people jumped out of the truck, two of them were teenagers, who backed away from the truck as the four officers rushed to the back, hauling out one body, and then another._

"He died serving his country and his fellow men,"

_Blood poured everywhere from the wound in his neck, covering the hands of his comrades, who held him in their arms. "There's no hope for me now," He whispered, grasping weakly on to Havoc's jacket._

"He will forever be remembered in our hearts,"

"_Don't be stupid!" Havoc said as he held him in his arms, cradling him and trying to stop the bleeding. "You'll be fine, I promise!" But he knew deep down there was no hope._

"We have suffered a great loss here... but, his valiant behaviour and courage will never be forgotten,"

"_Havoc, listen to me..." He choked, feeling himself slipping away slowly as everything began to blur. The loss of blood was too great. "Please, don't let me become... one of them,"_

"His final words... his final request... we fulfilled...."

_Gritting his teeth, gun shaking in his hands, Havoc aimed at the man's head. "Goodbye," He whispered before pulling the trigger and looking away._

"Please, God. Let his soul rest in peace, and let all those who have died in this tragedy join him in the Kingdom of Heaven,"

_Hauling his body back in the truck, the six of them got in solemnly, Winry beginning to cry in Ed's arms again._

"Look after him now... as we all remember our dear friend,"

_Approaching the bunker, they all got out with heavy hearts as their comrades and other survivors came to greet them. Winry embracing Ed and Al tightly as the others unloaded the supplies they had retrieved, and a blood stained black bag._

"Vato Farman,"

Lowering the wooden chest in to the ground slowly, Havoc, Breda, Fuery and Hawkeye all grabbed shovels and began to fill in the hole. At the head of the grave lay a bunch of flowers and a stone with the words 'Vato Farman' carved in to it.

As soon as the service was over, it began to rain, and most of the survivors made their way inside with heavy hearts. Only a few stayed around the grave to pay their final respects before they too headed inside.

It was a sad day indeed.

--

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Fullmetal Alchemist characters used in this story.


	8. Doom and Gloom

There was a dark and heavy mood in the base throughout the week. Hardly anyone talked, and most kept to themselves, the feeling of remorse still strong. But one felt particularly awful as she sat in her room on her bed, staring down at the floor; her cornflower blue eyes glazed over as she was lost in thought. The girl who she'd been sharing a room with, Rose, was sat on her own bed with a bible in her hands, reading and silently praying. After she was done, she set the book down and looked over at Winry, who hadn't moved an inch since this morning.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened, Winry," Rose spoke gently, feeling terribly sorry for the girl. Winry didn't move, nor did she show any sign that she'd actually heard the girl. Rose sighed and got up, sitting down beside the girl and putting her arm around her in an attempt to comfort the girl.

"It's all my fault . . ." Winry said croakily, still staring at the ground. "If it hadn't been for me . . ."

"You can't blame yourself," Rose repeated firmly. "The officers were going in to the city anyway, it would still have happened even if they hadn't gone and got you," She said. "You should be grateful they came to get you, I couldn't imagine living in that place a day longer,"

Winry took in a hesitant breath as her mind went back to living in that place; about all the people she had lost in there. Her eyes began to brim with tears and she struggled to hold them back. She'd lost her mother, her father, her grandmother, most of her friends, and it had only just hit her she would never see them again, just like Vato Farman, a man who had braved the city in an attempt to save those who had survived.

"Why did this have to happen?" Winry asked, looking up at Rose as a couple of tears cascaded down her cheeks. "What did we do wrong?"

Rose shook her head. "I don't know, I guess this is just God's will," She said, subconsciously reaching to the necklace that hung around her neck. "This is God's way of showing us we are no longer welcome on his Earth,"

"But why?!" Winry demanded, standing up. "Why do we have to suffer for other people's mistakes? It just doesn't make sense!" She wasn't in any way religious, but she still felt extremely angry that 'God' would allow something like this. "If we are his blessed children then why are we suffering so much? Why do we have to pay for someone else's sins?!"

The darker skinned girl stared up at Winry in shock, finding herself unable to answer the blonde's questions. Standing up, she closed her eyes and shook her head again. "I cannot answer your questions, maybe you should ask The Lord himself," She suggested, walking out of the room and leaving the girl to stare absently after her.

Once she left, Winry crumpled on her bed again and broke out in violent tears, crying for those she'd lost, those that had been lost and those who had survived.

--

Although they were all still upset over the loss of their comrade, the officers in the bunker didn't let that keep them from working. Most of the day had been spent outside, planting crops and securing the area with barbed fencing. In fact, if anything, Farman's death had motivated them to work harder to finish this, so they could protect those who were still left.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Havoc looked down at his watch before digging his shovel in to the ground and letting it rest there whilst he went to fetch something to drink. Entering the bunker, he briskly walked towards a sink that was located not too far from the doors leading to the back. Switching on the water, he cupped his hands and filled them with water before splashing it over his face and hair, rubbing away the sweat and dirt before taking a drink.

Lifting his head, he shook the excess water from his hair and turned around to find a young brunette woman with solemn and distant forest green eyes staring outside as the other soldiers worked.

"Hello, Sheska," Havoc greeted, tilting his head to the side and watching as the woman continued to stare before glancing at Havoc and blinking, before she offered him a forced smile.

"Hello Jean," She replied, lacing her fingers behind her back and looking back outside. "How goes the preparations?"

"Good," Jean said with a nod, running his fingers through his hair as he stood beside the girl. "We're almost done planting everything, and we've just got to finish up on some rewiring before we're done, but it's going great so far,"

He looked down at Sheska, watching as she fell silent again. "How are you coping?" He asked carefully, watching as she subconsciously reached for the necklace that dangled around her neck. Hesitating, Sheska blew out a long breath before she hung her head, gazing at the floor.

"I'm doing okay . . . it's still weird waking up to him not there, you know?" She said in a feeble sort of tone, fingers twisting around the silver chain that bore a simple silver ring with a diamond incrusted in to it. "I mean, he only just proposed a week before this a-and now . . ." Sheska began to stutter, cutting herself off and letting a few stray tears drip to the floor.

Havoc's chest tightened and he moved in, placing an arm around the young girl and pulling her in to a gentle and friendly embrace. "I know you miss him Sheska . . . we all do but . . ." He trailed off and looked out of the bunker distantly. "We have to move on and live our lives the best we can, try and survive this ordeal and get out alive,"

"I know, I know," Sheska whispered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's just . . . hard for me," She tried to explain, but somehow thought it was useless.

"I know it is," Havoc reassured her. "And we're all here for you, you know that," He said, offering her a gentle smile and letting go of her shoulder. "But I should get back to work, so I'll see you later," He said, waving his hand and heading back off outside.

"Take care," Sheska said with a nod before turning around and heading off.

--

Sat in his office with his head in his hand, Mustang stared absently at the paper in front of him, tapping the pencil against the table in a rhythmic fashion. As a colonel, he was one of the highest ranks left, apart from Olivia Armstrong and a few other men, but he'd taken most of the responsibility, especially for keeping his men safe.

But after the loss of Farman, he wondered if all his decisions had been the right ones. It had been a heavy blow, and had brought up the most horrible memories of fallen comrades.

A knock at the door brought him out of his daydream, and he looked up to see a rather concerned looking Hawkeye at the door, holding a tray with food on it.

"Sir?" She said, walking in to the room and setting the tray down on his desk. "Are you alright? You haven't eaten ever since . . ."

"I'm fine, Hawkeye," Mustang reassured her, although not too convincingly. He had dark marks under his eyes from lack of sleep and he looked paler than usual, which made him look almost ghostly under his raven black mop of hair.

Hawkeye watched her superior carefully for a moment, folding her arms over her chest and pausing in silence. Having worked under Mustang for so many years, she had a knack for knowing when he was hiding something, and she had a knack for getting it out of him.

The man began to tap his pencil again, his eyes focused on the paper in front of him before lifting up to settle on Hawkeye. He furrowed his brows at her before letting out a sigh and dropping his pencil, pulling the tray of food towards himself and beginning to eat.

"I'm thinking about moving the base," He informed her.

Hawkeye's eyes widened in surprise and her jaw fell slack.

"Moving the base? But why?"

"We're too close to the city . . . and I fear after the last raid the zombies with begin to venture out of the city," The colonel began, closing his eyes. "I'm afraid that they might be intelligent enough to realise there are people still alive and they might come looking for us,"

"But sir, you can't be sure," Hawkeye argued. "And even if they did, we can protect ourselves here, we have enough resources to deal with these creatures, so why move?"

"We need to find more survivors, if there are any," Mustang said. "Our numbers are dwindling, and most of the survivors can't protect themselves if faced with an attack,"

"So would it not be better to teach them to defend themselves?"

Mustang sighed a long sigh and covered his mouth with his hand, thinking hard.

"I've been thinking about this a lot, Hawkeye. I think it would be for the best if we moved,"

"You can't keep blaming yourself like this Roy!" Hawkeye burst out suddenly, slamming her fist on the table and leaning closer to glare at the man. "Farman's death was at no fault of your own; moving will only exacerbate our situation,

"We are all upset about losing Farman, but packing up and moving? How will that help any of us? Surely it would only put us in more danger seeing as we hardly know how badly the damage is outside of the base and the city,"

Shocked at how agitated the woman was getting about his decision, Mustang continued to stare at her for a while before he growled under his breath and closed his eyes, resting his head in his hands.

"You're right, you're right it was a stupid idea to even consider . . ." He muttered to himself to the satisfaction of his lieutenant. "But we can't just . . . sit here and do nothing; something needs to be done,"

"I agree sir, but I'm not sure moving everyone is the right choice," Hawkeye explained calmly. "And I'm sure the others would agree with me when I say that,"

Mustang shook his head. "Of course . . . but the thing is . . . what are we going to do instead?"

Both adults fell silent in thought, the only noise was of the clock ticking away on the wall. After about five minutes, Hawkeye finally spoke up.

"We could try and attempt to fix the radio tower . . . to see if we can send out a message to other survivors,"

Mustang's face lit up. "That's brilliant!" He said, getting up from his seat enthusiastically. "Why didn't I think of that before? Of course! If we can channel a signal to all radio networks we can send them a message about our position and possibly rally up more survivors! Riza you're a genius!"

Hawkeye blushed lightly at the mention of her first name, but kept quiet about it. She was glad the colonel was back to his usual self again as he grabbed his coat, finished the last of his food and rushed off to find Fuery, the one person who could help fix the radio tower.

Clearing away the tray, she followed him out of the room and down towards the kitchens, a gentle smile on her face.


End file.
